Leslie Watson "Gay" Randall Papers,

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1 Leslie Watson "Gay" Randall Papers, Overview of the Collection Creator Randall, L.W. (Leslie Watson), Title Leslie Watson "Gay" Randall Papers Dates (inclusive) Quantity 1.5 linear feet, (3 boxes) Collection Number Mss 044 Summary Gay Randall managed his family's dude ranch, the OTO Ranch, near Gardiner, Montana, and later wrote about the ranch and early days in the West and near Yellowstone National Park. The collection contains family genealogy, Randall's writings, and numerous photographs of the ranch. Repository University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections Archives and Special Collections Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library University of Montana 32 Campus Dr. # Missoula, MT Telephone: Fax: Access Restrictions Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and the University of Montana--Missoula. Languages Sponsor English Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Biographical Note Leslie Watson "Gay" Randall, was born in 1893 in Gardiner, Montana, and grew up on the OTO Ranch. His father, James Norris "Dick" Randall, had bought the property in the Cedar Creek Valley, northeast of Gardiner, Montana, just outside Yellowstone National Park, in spring He intended it to be a ranch, but soon began hosting hunters. Soon the ranch became a dude ranch, the OTO Ranch, one of the first of its kind in Montana. It became a thriving business; by the 1910s, Randall became well-known as "Mr. Dude Ranch" in regional and national publications. The physical facilities of the ranch expanded to include a lodge, guest cabins, and other buildings. Demand for dude ranch 1

2 vacations increased notably after World War I, and the Dude Ranch Association was founded in 1926 in Bozeman, Montana. With the 1930s Depression, business slowed, and the Randalls sold out to C.T. Libby in Randall was married to Wiletta Gertrude Husted, who was born in 1897 in Livingston, Montana. They had three children: Abigail Josephine, William Edward (born 1918), and George Richard. Gay managed the OTO Ranch for a time; he produced advertising and marketing materials for the ranch. By the early 1950s, he was publishing stories of the Old West in popular magazines and living in Clarkston, Washington. He published Footprints Along the Yellowstone, stories of frontier Montana, in He also wrote an article in Montana, the Magazine of Western History on his father and the history of dude ranching in Montana and Wyoming. He died in Content Description The collection contains family genealogy, Randall's writings, and numerous photographs of the ranch. Randall's writings consist of magazine and newspaper articles and an unpublished book that offer his perspective on the early West, the beginnings of dude ranching in Montana, and the early history of Yellowstone National Park. The photographs, most of which were originally produced for publicity materials for the OTO Ranch, also show the Randall family and some early history of Yellowstone National Park. Use of the Collection Restrictions on Use Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright transferred to The University of Montana. Preferred Citation [Name of document or photograph number], Leslie Watson "Gay" Randall Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula. Administrative Information Arrangement The collection is arranged in three series: Series I: Genealogy, 2 folders, 1817, 1945 Series II: Writings, 1 linear foot, Series III: Photographs, 0.5 linear feet, Custodial History The materials remained in the possession of the Randall Family until transfer to the Archives. 2

3 Acquisition Information Gift of Bill Randall, Transfer to the Archives was facilitated by Joel Bernstein and Glenda Bradshaw. Processing Note The original processers arranged the collection, produced a cursory finding aid, and separated photographs from the collection; some were integrated into the Archives' photograph collections, and some remained unprocessed. In 2004, the collection was reprocessed: photographs were integrated, the collection (formerly the Gay Randall Papers) was re-named, the collection was minimally rearranged, and a new finding aid was produced. Separated Materials During original processing a Swedish psalmbook was moved to the Special Collections department. Detailed Description of the Collection Series I: Genealogy, 1817 and ca folders This series contains items related to the Randall family genealogy. The first is a genealogical chart of the family that appears to have been produced for William Edward Randall. The second is an original letter from J.A. Randall to William Randall from Container(s) Description Dates Box/Folder 1/1 Randall family genealogy ca /2 Letter, J.A. Randall to William Randall 1817 Series II: Writings, linear foot This series contains Gay Randall's writings, including research materials articles, newspaper stories and editorials, and the draft of a book, Rising Winds. Research on Fellows D. Pease, who was a Crow Indian agent, Montana trapper, scout, prospector and trader who came to Montana in There is substantial correspondence between him and the Pease family of Ashland and Lodge Grass, Montana. Much of the research materials, especially that on Pease and for Rising Winds, are copied from the National Archives. Much of that correspondence is directed to his wife, Wiletta. Some of the publications also include articles by Wiletta. 3

4 Box/Folder 1/3 "Battle for the Columbia" /4 Research material for "Battle for the Columbia" /5 Elk 1/6 Indian stories 1/7 Magazines with articles by Randall /8 Magazines with articles by Randall /9 Magazines with articles by Randall /10 Newspaper articles /11 Research material, Fellows D. Pease /12 Research material, Fellows D. Pease 1/13 Research material, Fellows D. Pease 2/1 Rising Winds [1953] 2/2 Rising Winds [1953] 2/3 Rising Winds [1953] 2/5 Articles 2/6 Articles 2/7 Articles Series III: Photographs, linear feet This series contains photographs produced and collected by Gay Randall. They are a mixture of Randall family photographs and early photographs of Yellowstone National Park and environs, but largely consist of publicity photographs of the OTO Ranch. Many of these were taken by Gay Randall as he sought to promote and build the ranch's business, but there are also photographs of F.J. Haynes 4

5 and Gay's son, Bill Randall. There are original negatives for some images. Many of these photographs appear to have been used in publications; some were contemporary, but many were for Randall's 1950s historical publications. The final folder in the series contains Randall's list of photo identifications; the list is numbered, but does not appear to match with any numbers on the photographs; according to this, most of the dude ranch photographs were taken between 1930 and Container(s) Description Dates : Gardiner Railroad Station, Northern Entrance to Yellowstone National Park : Petrified trees near Tower Falls, Yellowstone National Park : Theodore Roosevelt at cornerstone laying ceremonies, north gateway to Yellowstone National Park, Gardiner, Montana : Theodore Roosevelt at cornerstone laying ceremonies, north gateway to Yellowstone National Park, Gardiner, Montana : First wagon trail along the Gibbon River, Yellowstone National Park : Northern Pacific train at Old Cinnabar, Theodore Roosevelt's train for dedication of northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park : Six-horse tally ho (concord coach) between Gardiner, Montana, and Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park : George W. Wakefield, pioneered first stage lines at Yellowstone National Park : Concord Coach of the Wakefield Transportation and Camps Company, Yellowstone National Park ca : Freight team in Gardiner, Montana : Freight team in Gardiner, Montana : Camp scene near Glenn Creek : F.D. Pease 5

6 81-435: Four loaded freight teams of C.B. Scott, Gardiner, Montana ca : Front and Main Streets in Gardiner, Montana ca (III):1: "Fishing Boulder River" 44(III):2: "Trail Riders" 44(III):3: Camp Scene "Summer Pack Trip" 44(III):4-16: Camping on saddle horse, tour of Yellowstone National Park 44(III):17: "Off to Castle Cliffs and Petrified Forest" 44(III):18: Partial view of main lodge and cabins, OTO Ranch 44(III):19: Cattle, OTO Ranch 44(III):20: Cattle, OTO Ranch 44(III):21: Cattle, OTO Ranch 44(III):22: Cattle, OTO Ranch 44(III):23: Cattle, OTO Ranch 44(III):24: "The end of a pleasant journey, Chicago to the OTO Ranch, and a grand time" [automobile on road] 44(III):25: Bill Randall and Claude Fite, with log 44(III):26: Looking north on Main Street, Helena, Montana Territory. Ten-mule jerk line team, "Bloody Dick" is standing near the corner of Wood and Main Street. W.H. Taylor 44I(III):27: Carcasses of elk that died of starvation on the flat in front of Gardiner, Montana, just inside the border of Yellowstone National Park 44(III):28: Cattle, near Cow Creek, on the Yellowstone River ca. 1920s

7 44(III):29: Virginia City, Montana 44(III):30: "A shot at old Two B, working" 44(III):31: Dick and Doc? [Dick Randall and Dr. James A. Randall] 44(III):32: "1923 Lincoln with big engine" [Randall family? in automobile in Livingston, Montana] 44(III):33: "Part of camera crew making RKO movie" 44(III):34: "Off for a day's fishing" 44(III):35: [Pack string, OTO ranch] 44(III):36: Gail [Randall], with fish 44(III):37: Near Livingston, Montana 44(III):38: "Dick Randall and Gay Randall sharing a bear" 44(III):39: OTO Ranch lodge 44(III):40: "Dora, Bessie, and the chickens, Dick's ranch" [OTO Ranch] 44(III):41: "Bridge and water flume, Dick's ranch" [OTO Ranch] 44(III):42: Gay Randall 44(III):43: "Gibbon Canyon and River" F.J. Haynes 44(III):44: "June soon finds that it [roping a horse] is not as easy as it looks. The target is a wooden horse (or reasonable facsimile) built so that the guests may practice without endangering the valuable livestock that belongs to the ranch." [OTO Ranch guests] George Randall ca (III):45: "A big six-point bull slaughtered by a tooth hunter for his two tushes, the carcass left to rot and for the coyotes and ravens to fight over." 7

8 Leo D. Harris 44(III):46: "Coon skin Dick and old Two B at lunch on top mountain" 44(III):47: "Pinto and his load" 44(III):48: [Cattle, OTO Ranch] 44(III):49: "Good Morning!" [OTO guest and tent] 44(III):50: "It takes a little practice" [OTO guest and lasso] 44(III):51: "Fishing in Mission Creek Canyon" 44(III):52: Bill Randall George Randall 44(III):53: Bill Randall George Randall 44(III):54: Bill Randall George Randall 44(III):55: "Dick at OTO" [trail ride with guests] 44(III):56: "Snow-capped mountains in the Absarokees" 44(III):57: "Hog-tying a calf" 44(III):58: "Absoroka Mountains, elev feet" 44(III):59: "Off on a pack trip, climbing high divide" 44(III):60: "Part of a day's hunting, early fall" 44(III):61: "Packing horses for a mountain trip" 44(III):62: "Bulldogger and Hazen after their steer" 44(III):63: "Northern Pacific [Railway] Depot, Livingston, Montana" ca

9 44(III):64: "Fort Parker. F.D. Pease was appointed first Indian agent to the Crows in 1870 and assigned to Fort Parker" Montana Historical Society 44(III):65: Nancy Brockhart Randall 44(III):66: Dr. James A. Randall 44(III):67: "Will's home on the ranch" [OTO Ranch] 44(III):68: "On the way to Will's ranch" [OTO Ranch] 44(III):69: Front row: Frank Shively, Major Reynolds, Plenty Coups, Joseph Dixon, Sees with his Ears. Back row: George Pease, Carl Leider, Scolds the Bear, Big Medicine, Dave Stewart, Jimmie Hill. 44(III):70: Top row: Curley the scout, Plain Owl, White Man Runs Him, Sam Harris. Middle row: Packs the Hat, Sees with his Ears, Holds the Enemy, Stops at Roches, Spotted Rabbit. Bottom row: Horace Song Bear, Thomas Medicine Horse. 44(III):71: "Hom. Miller, taken about 1907 by W.S. Berry, Gardiner, Mont." 44(III):72: "A familar sight every day the dead elk were dragged away to spots for burying in pits" 44(III):73: "Late winter and spring of Hundreds of elk died on the feed grounds, on the flat in front of the town of Gardiner, Mont." 44(III):74: "Vacation on a dude ranch, riding in the Rockies" 44(III):75: "Dick Randall off for a little trout fishing in cold rushing mountain streams" 44(III):76: "Summit Shell Mountain" 44(III):77: "Evening in camp" 44(III):78: "On the Trail" ca

10 44(III):79: "On the corral fence" 44(III):80: "In Montana mountains--absaroka National Forest Montana" "Summit high divide" 44(III):81: "One of our cowboys riding a cow bareback" 44(III):82: "Cooling off on a holiday in July, Abasaroka National Forest Montana" "Snow Glaciers, elev. 10,000 feet" 44(III):83: "Out for a morning ride" 44(III):84: "Fort Yellowstone from Capitol Hill" F.J. Haynes 44(III):85: "On the Trail" 44(III):86: "Pack Outfit" (III):87: "Bill and bear, hilled fall of 1940" (III):88: "Abandoned homesteaders cabin" 44(III):89: "Calf roping" 44(III):90: "Bob, bear hide, Bill [Randall]" 44(III):91: "Second money" 44(III):92: "Romance in the Rockies" (Kay, Bill [Randall]) 44(III):93: "Almost there" 44(III):94: "Headed for a spill" 44(III):95: "Ridin' High" 44(III):96: "A days ride in the Absaroka mountains near the ranch" 44(III):97: "Fording Mission Creek at barns" 10

11 44(III):98: "Rodeo stock" 44(III):99: "The toughest Hombre west of the Mississippi. That's my Pop [Gay Randall]" 44(III):100: "Bill Randall, grandson of Dick Randall demonstrates the proper technique of holding the lariet for Miss Kay Brown of New York City." 44(III):101: "Cow calling her calf" 44(III):102: "A light from a dude" 44(III):103: "Headin' for Heaven" 44(III):104: "A summers harvest" 44(III):105: "Roping instruction" 44(III):106: "Rope spinning double" 44(III):107: "Making a movie" 44(III):108: "Morning riding party leaving main lodge [of OTO Ranch]" 44(III):109: "Riding Party" 44(III):110: "Packing up for a trip" 44(III):111: "Bob on Rusty" 44(III):112: "One that didn't get away" 44(III):113: "Horses, left to right: Toby, Chief, Patches, Hope, Shorty" 44(III):114: "Montana jack rabbit" [deer] 44(III):115: "Grand Canyon" [of the Yellowstone River] 44(III):116: "Bucking horses" 11

12 44(III):117: "A New York lad tries hi luck at bareback calf riding" 44(III):118: "Branding a colt" 44(III):119: "Bulldogger as he leaves his horse" 44(III):120: "Watching a thunder storm on high divide" 44(III):121: "A peaceful nook" 44(III):122: "Watching a thunder storm from a high divide" 44(III):123: "Jupiter Terrace, Yellowstone National Park" 44(III):124: "Going a-fishing" 44(III):125: "Pat" 44(III):126: "A glimpse of two of the cabins [at the OTO Ranch]" 44(III):127: [OTO Ranch employee and guest] 44(III):128: "Headin' for the hills" 44(III):129: "Claude when he broke the law" [fish string] 44(III):130: "A snow bank in July" 44(III):131: "Bulldogging a steer" 44(III):132: "Recreation hour" 44(III):133: "A bad view of the house" 44(III):134: "In camp" 44(III):135: "A good saddle horse awaits you at the OTO" 44(III):136: "The old master himself and a couple of the gals" (III):137: "All day trip--shell Mountain, Elevation 8650" 12

13 44(III):138: "Main lodge [OTO Ranch]" 44(III):139: "At the corrals after the day's ride" 44(III):140: "Mission Creek at Ranch house" [young women sitting on bridge] 44(III):141: "Ready for the trail" 44(III):142: "Dreaming" [young woman by lake] 44(III):143: OTO upper ranch, Cedar Creek, upper meadows 44(III):144: "Bill Randall on Will James, Big Timber, Montana, August 2, 1940" 44(III):145: "After completing his roll, the horse and rider both... to get up. All of the other cowboys hurry to help... one, who despite the weight of the horse passing...suffered only bruises" 44(III):146: "The heavy, stiff hemp rope becomes twisted into a perfect figure eight. Great skill is needed to keep the twisted strands of the rope from snarling into knots. The object in twirling the rope is to keep the loop open and to give the rope enough speed to keep up with its moving target." 44(III):147: "Like everything else on a ranch, Dudes want to learn how to do it, a wrangler obligingly is teaching this young lady how it is done, while the others look on." 44(III):148: "After listening to the careful instructions of the master of the art, Shirly Watson finds that, while the target is stationary, it is still hard to catch. Moving targets are much more difficult as a timing element is involved." 44(III):149: Bill [Randall], Dick [Randall], Gay [Randall]. "Three generations" (III):150: "Giving a dude the works on the buckaroo (a dummy horse made from short length of log, suspended by ropes, the rope pullers can give the rider a tough time, even experienced bronc riders find it hard to ride the buckaroo." Note on back: After seeing a real western bronc perform, every youngster wanted to learn to ride a bucking horse. Naturally the risk of them getting badly hurt was too great, so we at the 13

14 OTO Ranch came up with this dummy horse, for this practice job for those Dude kids. After a few spills the youngster was usually satisfied that he was not a bronc rider and that he did not care to be one. The four men on the ropes could control the dummy's actions, either for giving the rider a hard or easy demonstration. The publicity for this novel device was taken up by the New York Pictorial Review with a full-page spread, then the Popular Mechanics Magazine gave the OTO more publicity. 44(III):151: "The stage coach Oregon drawn by four horses, and loaded with its capacity load of eleven tourist passengers" [in Yellowstone National Park?] 44(III):152: "Thrashing scene, eastern Montana" Mrs. R.D. Kennedy Coal burning steam engine furnishes the power right, bundle wagons and separator in background. This sixteen-man crew could not possibly thresh out as much wheat in a day as the present tractor drawn or self propelled combines, with only a two-man crew." 44(III):153: "The old Mammoth Hotel, built in 1883 in background. Foreground: the stage coach Bighorn, the number one coach of the Wakefield Transportation Company" F.J. Haynes 44(III):154: "Livingston [Montana] rodeo" 44(III):155: "Dad and dudes" 44(III):156: "The all-log rustic Northern Pacific [Railway] depot at Gardiner, Montana, north entrance to Yellowstone [National] Park, coaches lined up in front loading passengers, train standing on tracks back of depot. Shortly after the first war and the horse and buggy days in Yellowstone, the handsomely built depot was torn down." F.J. Haynes 44(III):157: "Pat and Gail, Bill [Randall]'s sisters" 44(III):158: "This was an everyday sight along the dusty dirt roads of Yellowstone [National Park] during the horse and buggy days. Four horse-drawn coaches, loaded with tourists, three seated five passenger spring wagons and special surreys lined the roads." F.J. Haynes

15 44(III):159: "Going up Mission Creek" 44(III):160: "Crazy Mountains" 44(III):161: "Play hour" 44(III):162: "George seems to be interested in the new guest from Philadelphia" 44(III):163: "A pause to enjoy the view" 44(III):164: "Looking like a dangerous bandit is just one of Dick Randall's ways of entertaining the ladies and making their stay long to be remembered. Mors. Heding is under the hat in case you cannot find her in the picture." 44(III):165: "Getting in practice" 44(III):166: Eastern Montana ca (III):167: "Pat Tucker, Indian scout, Picture taken Livingston [Montana], July 4, 1930" 44(III):168: "The view from the Ranch" 1930 Box/Folder 3/8 Album pages 3/9 Unidentified 3/10 Unidentified 3/11 Unidentified 3/12 Information on photographs Names and Subjects Subject Terms : Dude ranches -- Montana Corporate Names : 15

16 OTO Ranch Family Names : Randall family Geographical Names : West (U.S.)--History Yellowstone National Park--History Yellowstone National Park--Photographs Form or Genre Terms : Photographs Occupations : Dude ranchers -- Montana Finding aid prepared by Jodi Allison-Bunnell 2004 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West: